2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution XI Hybrid Concept

Content courtesy of CarsDirect.com

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is the struggling Japanese automaker’s most storied model and a favorite of sport sedan enthusiasts everywhere. Each year the car goes toe-to-toe with Subaru’s WRX line for rally-derived sport compact supremacy, but some reports state that Mitsubishi plans on killing the model after its current generation.

“An inside source” told Road and Track the model is likely to survive in
the form of the Evolution XI, and that the car will feature an
aggressively tuned plug-in hybrid powertrain. “This way, it will conform
to the company’s overall strategic plan of building fuel-efficient
cars, yet it will have all the performance that the current Lancer Evo
possesses,” the source said.

The next Evo, if it is produced after all, will likely feature a
turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine mated to some derivation of the
electric motor found in the hot new Mitsubishi i-MiEV plug-in electric.
Expect upwards of a combined 350 horsepower (! -Ed.) and far better
efficiency than the current 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution‘s 17 mpg
city/23 mpg highway.